Aubrey Pankey’s story remains a notable example of the difficulties faced by mid-century artists of color who decided to live outside the country rather than face the continued racism within the United States. Born in Pittsburgh, he made his reputation through his interpretation of Lieder; performing primarily in recitals and concerts. He began his career in Boston and New York, then moved to Europe where he continued to study and perform. He spent much of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe, particularly Germany, facing opposition from the Nazi Party who claimed he (and other “American Negroes”) were stealing jobs from German singers. He was ultimately kicked out of Germany and Italy, and moved to Paris until his return to the United States in 1939. He spent the 1940s in the US and toured South America several times. He moved to Paris in 1948 but was ejected after openly speaking against the convictions of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Lacking options, he immigrated to the German Democratic Republic where he performed and was rumored to have served as a state agent (most probably as a propaganda tool, although he resisted being used in that way). He died in a car crash in 1971.

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For further information on this artist:

· Nettles, Darryl Glenn (2003). African American Concert Singers Before 1950. McFarland & Co., pp. 125-31.

· “Baritone Aubrey Pankey, 65, killed in Berlin car mishap.” Jet, col. 40, vol 9, 27 May 1971, p. 58.

· “Brilliant Baritone was once a jack of all trades. The Afro American, Baltimore, MD, 20 December 1941, p. 14.

· Dolinar, Brian (2012). The Black Cultural Front: Black Writers and Artists of the Depression Generation. University of Mississippi Press, p. 58.

· Haerington, Ollie (8 August 1953). “U.S. singer told to leave Paris.” Pittsburgh Courier, vol 44, vol 32, p.1

· Thurman, Kira: “Performing Lieder, Hearing Race: Debating Blackness, Whiteness, and German Identity in Interwar Central Europe.” Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 72, no. 3, Special Issue on Music, Race, and Ethnicity. (Fall, 2019, pp. 825-865.

· Maria Schubert: “Allies Across Cold War Boundaries?” Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte, 2020, vol. 33, no 1. ‘Freiheit damals, Freiheit heute’: Ein interdisziplinaärer und transnationaler Dialog über die US-amerikanische Bürgerrechtsbewegung: (Freedom Then, Freedom Now: An Interdisciplinary and Transnational Dialogue on the US American Civil Rights Movement) (2020), pp. 59-71.

 

Recordings:

· Oh, Freedom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSSfddA14Po. Accessed May 22, 2024. · Aubrey Pankey sings Porgy and Bess arias. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTMhkTk5HC8. Accessed 5/22/2024.

· Aubrey W. Pankey sings “Amarilli mia bella.” (Paris, 1927). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4uOWUvq4bQ. Accessed 5/22/2024.